The Mexican Passport Test #1
Yesterday I went to the Mexican Consulate here in San Diego and applied to get my Mexican passport.
It’s always embarrassing to go to the Mexican Consulate because everyone speaks Spanish perfect and I fear that I’ll stutter in Spanish, say something wrong or with an accent.
I’m pretty much fluent in Spanish, however when it comes time to converse with a Spanish speaking native, I lack the native method of manipulating the language fluently and I’m sure it's noticeable.
Three hours and $85 later, I received my Mexican passport with delight.
The Turkish guy who I mentioned was a U.S. citizen in my last post is leaving to go visit his family in Turkey for two months. He’s holding a going away get-together at a local bar and I’ve been invited.
I’m sitting here two hours away from using my passport for the first time and I fear that someone is going to see me use it. What will they say? What if they see the Mexican Seal instead of the American eagle embedded on the front cover? How can I explain my lack of an ID? I can only imagine the worst scenario:
“Hey Ben … you don’t have an ID?”
“Yeah I do … but … well … I lost it, and I can only use my passport.”
“Oh that sucks, let me see it”
“No dude, I don’t like the picture in it.”
“Common, let me see it … why is it a Mexican passport … are you a legal resident?”
“Of course man, I just haven’t gotten my American passport and I brought my Mexican one I got about three years ago, I have duel citizenship you know.”
Then I would briskly shove it in my back pocket and swiftly try and change the topic.
Although I try and remain optimistic, I’m really nervous. We’ll see what happens …
posted by Jon at
8:46 PM
2 Comments:
Dude, you are a native spanish speaker. If you landed in the states at the wee age of 6 then the linguistic wiring for spanish was already in place before your language wiring was exposed to english. Remember that most of the times our culture is exposed to competing ideologies of wha is 'right'. That is an issue that you yourself need to work out but suffice to say, the spanish you have is a spanish that is American spanish. Spanish that is tainted with spanglish, caló, and other sorts of southwestern spanish whose zone of influence embraces large of the united states. (though I suspect you are not raised in the southwest) Be proud of being what you are, no matter what you are. Lastly, I understand the plight of being undoumented and hiding this fact from everyone but never forget that even though you are undocumented you are a native of America and of that you should be proud regardless of what Tío Sam says.
By
Julio Sueco, at 10:35 AM
I am a native born American Citizen (white). I married an undocumented Mexican woman, whose daughters were also undocumented. My daughter is going to get her Mexican passport. Please don't tell her she should be embarrassed. Whatever you are embarrassed about - you should get over it.
By
Anonymous, at 10:29 PM
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